Abstract
The determination of strawberry fruit quality through the traditional destructive lab techniques has some limitations related to the amplitude of the samples, the timing and the applicability along all phases of the supply chain. The aim of this study was to determine the main qualitative characteristics through traditional lab destructive techniques and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) in fruits of five strawberry genotypes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to search for spectral differences among all the collected samples. A Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) technique was computed in order to predict the quality parameters of interest. The PLS model for the soluble solids content prediction was the best performing—in fact, it is a robust and reliable model and the validation values suggested possibilities for its use in quality applications. A suitable PLS model is also obtained for the firmness prediction—the validation values tend to worsen slightly but can still be accepted in screening applications. NIR spectroscopy represents an important alternative to destructive techniques, using the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum to investigate in a non-destructive way the chemical–physical properties of the samples, finding remarkable applications in the agro-food market.
Highlights
Strawberries are increasingly in demand in the worldwide fruit and vegetable market, from ever more demanding consumers with regards to appearance, taste and nutritional quality.In order to guarantee the highest quality in terms of taste, color and consistency, strawberries should be harvested at almost complete maturation, as they are non-climacteric fruit.Nowadays, strawberry fruits for market purposes are sorted based on their external quality such as a bright red color, uniform distribution, size, shape and absence of surface defects, but it is well known that internal quality parameters, such as taste, sweetness and acidity, are fundamental in the definition of fruit quality and strongly influence appreciation by the final consumer [1]
The results of this study showed that the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique can be used to determine the spectral similarity of the fruits of different genotypes
This study demonstrated the possibility to use the Fourier Transform (FT)-Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) technique coupled with Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) for the prediction of the qualitative parameters of strawberry fruits
Summary
Strawberries are increasingly in demand in the worldwide fruit and vegetable market, from ever more demanding consumers with regards to appearance, taste and nutritional quality.In order to guarantee the highest quality in terms of taste, color and consistency, strawberries should be harvested at almost complete maturation, as they are non-climacteric fruit.Nowadays, strawberry fruits for market purposes are sorted based on their external quality such as a bright red color, uniform distribution, size, shape and absence of surface defects, but it is well known that internal quality parameters, such as taste, sweetness and acidity, are fundamental in the definition of fruit quality and strongly influence appreciation by the final consumer [1]. Strawberries are increasingly in demand in the worldwide fruit and vegetable market, from ever more demanding consumers with regards to appearance, taste and nutritional quality. In order to guarantee the highest quality in terms of taste, color and consistency, strawberries should be harvested at almost complete maturation, as they are non-climacteric fruit. The qualitative characteristics of fruits are currently determined by destructive analyses which, if on the one hand guarantee clear and reliable information, on the other have different limits in terms of the amplitude of the product that can be analyzed due to the time necessary for carrying out the analyses.
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